AHMED MARI, Maiduguri
Governor Babagana Zulum of Borno state led a delegation of government officials from Nigeria to kick start the repatriation of refugees that fled their communities due to Boko Haram insurgency, to Baga Sola in Chad Republic.
The refugees, who were mostly indigenes of Borno, have been displaced for nearly ten years by the insurgency which affected communities around Lake Chad Basin.
The delegation which includes the State Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Dr Yusuf Tanko Sununu, and the Federal Commissioner/Chief Executive Officer of the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons (NCFRMI) were received on Wednesday in Baga Sola by the Governor of Lac Province, Saleh Haggar Tidjani.
The delegation, in the first batch of the repatriation exercise relocated about 1,768 families comprising 7,790 people back to Nigeria.
Before launching the first batch of the repatriation, Zulum attended the signing of a tripartite agreement in Baga Sola between the governments of Nigeria, Chad and the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR).
The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Dr Yusuf Tanko Sununu, signed on behalf of Nigeria, the Governor of Lac Province for the Republic of Chad and Jerome Merlin, Second Rep UNHCR in Baga Sola, signed for the UN refugee agency.
Delivering his address at the ceremony, Zulum emphasised that only those that have voluntarily indicated interest in returning will be repatriated.
Zulum expressed gratitude to the government of Chad for hosting thousands of Nigerians displaced by the crises in Borno.
Other members of the delegation were: the Head of Chancery, Nigerian Embassy in N’Djamena, Abdulkadir Ibrahim Ghani; Member of Borno State House of Assembly representing Kukawa, Hon Karta Maina Ma’aji; Commissioners of Information and Local Government Affairs, Prof. Usman Tar and Sugun Mai Mele and the Permanent Secretary Government House, Mustapha Ali Busuguma.
Speaking during the exercise, the State Minister of Humanitarian and Disaster Management commended Governor Zulum for his good leadership in Borno State.
He said, “I want to thank the Executive Governor of Borno State for showing leadership during crises and serving as a role model in terms of complete collaboration with the federal government and for providing all the necessary support.”
